


Repeat

by MurkyMuse



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: F/M, manga spoilers for 100+, won't make sense unless you've read chapter 104
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-05
Updated: 2015-04-10
Packaged: 2018-03-21 08:55:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3686082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MurkyMuse/pseuds/MurkyMuse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kaya got tried of waiting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Español available: [Repetición](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6315796) by [narutinachan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/narutinachan/pseuds/narutinachan)



> Or Ouryuu was shamed into doing something nice for Zeno.

Her parents had chosen a different name for their unborn child months before. However, the moment they laid eyes on their newborn daughter that name was forgotten. Both agreed only one name fit her, though neither knew where that name came from or why they wanted to name her so.

“Kaya.”

-

For as long as she could remember Kaya felt like she should be searching for someone. Someone important to her. The image in her mind was blurry: a golden silhouette, a bright smile, and gentle hands on her back. Sometimes, in the early dawn after waking up from a dream, the name of that special person would be on the tip of her tongue.

“Z…?”

Then she would be called to do chores; the name fading from her mind.

-

Once, when Kaya was about nine, she told her parents that she wanted leave town to go find her mystery person. They stared at her across the table, dinner ignored for the moment.

“You’re too young to leave.”

“When I’m older then”, she insisted oblivious to the confused and worried looks her parents gave each other.

-

“Will you marry me?”

Kaya was fifteen. She stared at the young man standing before her with a nervous but hopeful expression. He was a village boy that she had grown up with. Kaya blinked in confusion.

“I…I can’t.”

Why did she want to say that she was already married?

-

A few years later, a fever spread across village. No one was spared. Kaya’s mother, father, friends, the boy that had proposed to her, and the neighbors: they all caught the fever and died. Eventually Kaya caught it as well.

Laying on the bedroll of her empty home and burning with fever, Kaya cried. She cried for all those she’d lost. She cried because she was afraid to die. She cried because she would never find that person. That moonless night, Kaya cried herself to sleep.

In her fever dreams Kaya saw a golden dragon fly to her and curl itself around her.

When morning rays of light poured through the window, Kaya woke up weak and thirsty but alive. The fever had miraculously broken. She was the sole survivor.

-

The village was eerily quiet. Kaya hated it. She hated the abandoned houses and unbearable loneliness. So once she had recovered enough, Kaya left her lifeless hometown behind.

-

The nearest village was a two day walk by foot. When Kaya arrived and explained her situation, the villagers gave her shelter and food but kept their distance, fearful that she still carried the fever. It hurt but she understood. That night she dreamed of warm laughter and caring blue eyes.

Kaya left the next morning. Even if the person she wanted to find was a figment of her imagination, it wouldn’t harm her to search for him. She had nothing else left.

-

In soon became apparent to Kaya that she was bad at traveling. She struggled to start campfires, though thankfully she was getting better with practice. She only knew a few wild plants that were safe to eat, and those were sparse. Her hunger was now a constant presence. Lastly, to escape a storm Kaya had ran off the road to find shelter.

Now walking through the thick foliage she couldn’t find the way back to the road. Her foot caught on a tree root, tripping her. Kaya toppled over and tumbled down a hill. A panicked cry escaped her lungs, while she desperately tried to protect her head. Scratched and bruised she came to a stop at the bottom of a ravine. Kaya tried to stand but her ankle gave under her weight. It was sprained; and, the ravine wall was steep.

“…How am I going to make it out of here with my foot like this?”

Soon the sunset and the temperature dropped. Kaya tried to start a fire but her flint had been lost during the fall. She shivered and shifted her swollen foot to a more comfortable position. There wasn’t much she could do in this situation until daylight other than try to rest.

“Kaya hopes no wild animals notice me”, she whispered referring to herself in third person felt comforting, “…or bandits.”

-

Something was off. Zeno noticed a faint presence, similar but much weaker than the divine protection that surrounded Hiryuu Castle. Even though it was still night, curiosity urged him into searching for the source. Zeno wandered through the underbrush of the forest until he came to a ravine. This close he could tell that it wasn’t just divine protection but the divine protection of the dragon god Ouryuu.

“What?…”

He peered down and could faintly see the silhouette of a person. Even if whoever that person was didn’t have the mark of the dragon he drank the blood of, Zeno wouldn’t have left anyone down there. He swiftly climbed down. Once closer it became obvious the person was a woman. She was unconscious and injured. Under the moonlight she almost looked like…

Zeno shook the thought out of his head and then got to work.

-

The sound of a crackling fire stirred Kaya from sleep. Her eyes blinked open to see a man with unruly golden-blond hair warming his hands in front of a fire. Kaya had never seen this man in her life and yet he looked achingly familiar. She slowly sat up, noticing he’d bandaged her ankle and placed his coat over her.

“…Ze..no.”

He turned to her then, his blue eyes wide as if he was seeing a ghost.

“K-kaya…? Are you really?”

She nodded with tears rolling down her cheeks, “I finally found you.”

His arms were suddenly around her, hugging her like she might disappear before his eyes.

“How?”

“I don’t understand it”, she unconsciously leaned into the hug, “But all my life I’ve wanted to find you.”

“So that’s it…”, Zeno mumbled into her hair as his tears joined hers, “Thank you, thank you.”

* * *

 

_The place she was in was difficult to describe, the scenery shifting and yet not. Kaya stayed put. She was waiting for her beloved. She waited and waited._

_“I’m sorry”, a voice spoke, “Zeno won’t be coming.”_

_A man with flowing crimson hair appeared beside Kaya. His expression was full of sorrow and regret._

_“Zeno won’t…?”_

_“Ouryuu is the dragon warrior that cannot die”, the man explained._

_It took some time for Kaya to wrap her mind around what that meant, putting everything about Zeno in a new perspective. And if her husband was a dragon warrior, then the crimson haired man next to her was…King Hiryuu._

_“Even if it was only for a short time”, the King bowed politely to her, “Thank you for bringing Zeno happiness.”_

_Tears welled up in Kaya’s eyes._

_“You mean he’ll be all alone? Forever?”_

_The King’s eyes became distant as he replied, “Eventually, like all humans, I will be reborn. Surely at that time fate will move to bring the dragon warriors to my side again.”_

_“I see…”, Kaya thought his words over, “Like all humans…King Hiryuu, is there a way for me to remember him when I’m reborn? You are a dragon god, right? There must be…?”_

_“I no longer have that type of power”, Hiryuu shook his head, “But…I might be able to convince one who does.”_

_“Really?! Would you, please?”_

_Hiryuu looked at her with a grave expression._

_“If you do this, it can’t be undone. It won’t be a clear memory, but you will remember. In every single lifetime, you will remember. But that doesn’t guarantee your paths will cross. You may spend lifetime after lifetime searching futilely for a dreamlike memory.”_

_Kaya thought about it. She thought about the suffering that could cause. She thought about Zeno being lonely, so very lonely._

_“….If Zeno can’t come meet me here, then I will go find him. Again and again, no matter how many lifetimes it takes.”_

_Hiryuu smiled at her, impressed._

_“Very well.”_


	2. Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being around Zeno makes Kaya remember.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be a oneshot but it's kind of taken a life of it's own.

“Alright”, Zeno said looking up, “Let’s get you out of here.”

The sun had risen a while ago, rays of light shining down into the forest ravine that had trapped Kaya the night before. Kaya cautiously stood to test her injured ankle. Pain shot through up her leg causing her to gasp. Zeno placed a hand on her shoulder, steadying her. It was as gentle as in those half-remembered dreams that had plagued her childhood.

“Zeno will carry you”, the blond smiled in a way that made Kaya’s stomach flutter.

Pushing down her sudden bashfulness, she glanced up the steep wall and then back to Zeno’s fairly small frame.

“Up the ravine?”

“Yup!”

That was his reply as he motioned her to get on his back piggy-back style. They made it barely a fourth of the way up when Zeno’s arms and legs started to shake from the struggle. Kaya buried her face in his messy hair. After a moment he caught on.

“…Are you laughing at Zeno?”

It really shouldn’t have been funny but that broke her willpower and laughter cascaded from her lungs.

“You were just so confident about this”, she replied between giggles.

She couldn’t see his face but when he replied he sounded more amused than offended.

“Zeno’s not very strong but Zeno has endurance.”

As if to prove his point, one of his quaking hands clutched a vine and pulled them farther up. Kaya simply nodded holding back more laughter.

“…Kaya is…”, his voice was shaky for reasons other than the climb, “…tenacious too.”

Kaya frowned and answered in a whisper, “…I just don’t like loneliness.”

That was right. She had searched for someone she wasn’t sure even existed because she didn’t want to be lonely. Now that she had found him other questions filled her mind: Why was Zeno so familiar? How had she known his name? How had he known hers? Why had she wanted to find him in the first place?

Kaya had a feeling Zeno knew. Or at least knew more than her.

-

Once they were out of the ravine and to a suitable area Zeno went about setting up camp, starting a fire, and then cooking. Kaya didn’t think it was fair for him to do all that after such an exhausting climb. However, Zeno just brushed off her concerns.

“You’re injured, so Zeno will take care of everything today.”

“But you must be tired from carrying me”, she replied with a frown.

He shook his head and chuckled; the afternoon light glinted off his golden hair.

“Zeno still has plenty of energy!” The second part of quieter and his voice felt heavy somehow, “Plus Zeno wants to take care of Kaya…”

“Why?”

He looked at her with sorrow filled eyes. At that moment Zeno seemed much older than his appearance suggested.

“...Zeno wonders if this is a cruel dream…But even if it is Zeno wants to be with Kaya longer.”

Kaya got up and hobbled over to him. His breath hitched as she pulled him into a hug.

“I’m not sure what this is, but I know it’s not a dream.”

* * *

 

_The house was empty and in shambles. No one was around. No voices called out to her. No hands reached for her. Loneliness clung to her skin even as she busied herself with daily chores._

_(In another lifetime a village stood empty. Everyone she loved, everyone she knew was gone. Their voices would never call out to her again. Their hands would never reach for her. Loneliness clung to her skin as she recovered from the fever, busying herself with daily chores.)_

_“What should Kaya make for dinner?”_

_“Kaya needs to do laundry.”_

_“Kaya-”_

_Then she was coughing. Coughing and coughing so much her lungs burned and her throat was raw. Blood spattered on the hand covering her mouth. Death’s grip slowly tightened around her chest._

_(In another lifetime a fever consumed her. She shivered and burned, sweat coating her body. The smell of death hovered around her.)_

_(She should have died, terrified and alone.)_

_Despite a hand desperately clinging to hers, her body weakened and her vision faded. She died._

* * *

 

Kaya’s eyes snapped open as she frantically gasped for air. Her head spun as if it had trouble figuring out where (when) she was. It felt like she was seeing three different visions: the forest she was currently camping in, her abandoned home village, and the falling apart cottage from that nightmare. Her entire body trembled.

“Kaya.”

Zeno’s hand touched her shoulder and anchored her. Kaya looked up at him in the flickering light of the fire. Worry was etched into his expression, his eyes. Tears dripped down her cheeks as Zeno silently pulled her into a hug.


	3. Ruminate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zeno worries that her pain is his fault.

Zeno’s eyes followed Kaya as she gathered fire wood from the edges of their camp. Her ankle was nearly recovered but she was still favoring her left foot. She hummed under her breath with an absent-minded smile. However, there were shadows under her eyes and her skin was pale from waking up gasping night after night. During the day she smiled and insisted she was fine. It was the same smile she had given him in the past whenever she collapsed, blood staining her mouth and hands.

Humans weren’t supposed to remember their past lives. Watching Kaya strain under the pressure of her past life’s suffering added to whatever suffering had driven her to wander a forest alone, it was clear why. Zeno wondered if this was his fault for begging the gods to give him more time with her. His stomach twisted at the thought.

She walked back toward him with an armful of branches. Placing them in the kindle pile and then sitting next to him, she snatched the spoon out of his hand and began to stir the stew.

“It smells delicious!”

“Eh? Hey, hey! It’s Zeno’s turn to cook.”

He grabbed the spoon back from her while she laughed, bright and clear. Despite everything Kaya was laughing. She had a new life full of new experiences yet her laughter remained the same. Without even realizing it, Zeno smiled lovingly at her.

-

Strictly speaking Zeno didn’t need sleep any more than he needed food or water. It had been one of the first hints about the extent of his power as Ouryuu. Back when King Hiryuu’s health first began to fail, during some crisis he couldn’t remember the details of, Zeno had worked a full week – day and night – straight. He hadn’t felt tired or sleepy. He hadn’t even noticed until a conspiracy between his assistant and the other dragons ended with him locked in his rooms on forced bedrest. Much later, after leaving the castle, Zeno learned that going too long without sleep did leave him delirious and instable. He wasn’t sure exactly how long it took for him to reach that point but knew it was much longer than it would be for a normal person.

Because Zeno didn’t really need sleep, he was awake and watching the steady rise and fall of Kaya’s chest. He had been doing this since she started having nightmares. Kaya would always wake up gasping for air and completely disoriented. If Zeno could figure out the signs before the nightmare started, then perhaps he could do something for her. However, the only tell was that she would suddenly stop breathing until her body forced her awake for air.

And that terrified Zeno. So he intently watched the rhythm of Kaya’s breathing, anticipating the moment that rhythm paused. Clouds drifted over the moon, shading them. There it was. Kaya didn’t take a breath. Zeno immediately moved to her side and grabbed her hand.

“Wake up”, he whispered like a prayer.

A minute passed before her body jerked. Kaya took panting breaths. Her dazed eyes searched out Zeno’s face.

“…Again”, she wheezed.

“Do you need anything? Water?”

Zeno asked as he helped her sit up. His palm lingered between her shoulder blades, while his other hand still clutched hers.

“I’m fine”, she shook her head, “…I keep interrupting your sleep…Sorry to make you go through all this trouble.”

“It’s no trouble at all.”

Kaya sat silently for a few minutes with her head looking down but her grip on Zeno’s hand tightening. Finally she broke the silence with a murmur.

“I…might be punishing myself…At that time I should have died. Everyone else did…I almost, I should have…”

The rest of her thoughts remained unvoiced as Kaya looked back up at Zeno. He gave her a sad, empathetic smile. The comforting weight of Hiryuu’s medallion rested around his neck.

“Being the last one left is painful.”

She squeezed his hand again. Even if she didn’t know the full truth, she understood.

“Zeno?”

“Hm?”

“Let’s stay like this.”

“Alright.”

Hours later sunrise painted the sky a vibrant red. However, it was a sunrise neither would witness. Zeno and Kaya were snuggled together, sound asleep. Neither would wake from their peaceful slumber until the sun climbed higher in the sky.


End file.
